Capitol City on Cahuenga Boulevard

Scott T. Sterling

"Capitol City is a bar-slash-restaurant-slash . . . something. I haven't really figured out what that third element is yet, but it's there," said Curtis Nysmith, the owner and mastermind behind the mammoth new establishment in the heart of the lively Cahuenga Corridor between Sunset and Hollywood boulevards. When pressed to describe the place in one succinct line, the relative newcomer to the L.A. bar scene didn't miss a beat: "It's a neighborhood sports bar on steroids."

Hormones would be one explanation for the 14-foot-by-8-foot high-definition big-screen TV that dominates the far wall of the main room. A recent "Monday Night Football" NFL match between the Dallas Cowboys and the Jacksonville Jaguars seemed almost life-size. Jerseys representing both sides were conspicuous around the space, which boasts a long, elegant table in the middle surrounded by a series of comfortable booths, all packed with people intently watching the game.

It is a scene repeated throughout Capitol City, the 7,000-square-foot space where the celebrity-attracting nightclub Goa once stood. The bar also features an upstairs lounge and a large open-air back patio (complete with bungalows), all of which are lined with giant TVs. Elegant, yes, but still a sports bar. Bowls of buffalo wings and plates of nachos were everywhere, and the high-decibel din erupted into a crescendo at every touchdown or particularly bone-crunching tackle.

"It got to the point that I could no longer go to sports bars," said Nysmith of the original inspiration for Capitol City. "For the most part, they just haven't changed at all. The only innovations have been to go nightclubby, like [ Jay-Z venture] the 40/40 clubs, or to become almost a theme park, like the ESPN Zone chain."

Nysmith's former lives as a prosecutor and actor (he hosted the TV motorcycle show "History Hogs" and has appeared in films) may have led him to look for something different.

"Capitol City really is what L.A. needed," says Chuy Duran, a hotel and restaurant specialist for Pacific Wine & Spirits. "It's laid-back and female-friendly. It's going to be an anchor for the Cahuenga Corridor." By that, he means the bustling cluster of bars, restaurants and retail spaces that have sprung up along Cahuenga between Hollywood and Sunset over the last few years.

Looking to emulate his favorite bars growing up in Washington, D.C. (hence the bar's name) and his time spent in New York City ("large, spacious, light places with a big bar and big windows"), Nysmith made a list of his 10 favorite restaurant designs with the idea to interview each designer. When five of them turned out to be done by the same firm, Tag Front, he quickly hired it. Still, his ambitious concept proved to be a challenge for both sides.

"I was constantly vetoing their ideas," said Nysmith. "They thought a 40-inch TV would be enough for the main room. I didn't agree, which is how I ended up tracking down the big screen."

The image was almost too much for patron Ben Beverly, 30, of Los Angeles ("I'll never look at my TV at home the same way again," he said), but for his friend Angela Barrons, 27, the night was more about a plate of garlic fries and gossiping with her friend Romy Walsh.

Nysmith explained that he didn't want the place to be all about men: "I have a lot of female friends that like sports and want somewhere to go, but they don't want the more collegiate places. They want to dress up a little, have a nice meal but still have the energy and excitement of a sports bar."